Intro TextYou often seek the solitude afforded by the apex of the mage-ring. It's the only place where the thoughts of others can't reach you and bombard your mind. Usually, it's quiet here, but not today.

Victory Text

Enraged by your defiance, the bullies throw you off the ring. You desperately cling to the edge and, before you know what's happening, you telepathically force one of the bullies to save your life. You've won the fight, but the danger your abilities pose has become painfully apparent.

The Bullies' deck is faster than Jace's, so it's usually wise to try to trade creatures when possible.

The Bullies' Ashmouth Hounds, their most common creatures, match up well against all of Jace's creatures in combat due to its triggered ability, trading with any of them except Phantasmal Dragon (and destroying Azure Mage before Azure Mage deals combat damage to it). You should be willing to trade any of your 2/2 or 2/3 creatures with it. The same goes for Reckless Brute, which is virtually the same as an Ashmouth Hound in combat except it also trades with Azure Mage.

The Furnace Whelp is the biggest threat the Bullies have, due to its firebreathing ability, enabling it to trade with any of Jace's creatures or push lots of damage. You should try to block it with Nimbus of the Isles, but also Phantasmal Dragon if you have no choice, simply due to its high damage output.

The Inferno Fists are the Bullies' answer to Phantasmal Dragon; if they play it and have a Mountain untapped, they can activate its ability to get rid of a Phantasmal Dragon (due to Phantasmal Dragon's triggered ability). Inferno Fist can also deal with one of Jace's 2/2 or 2/1 creatures (or even an x/3 that engaged an Ashmouth Hound in combat, prior to combat damage being dealt), but these are much less of a problem. An uncommon situation to watch out for is if the Bullies play Inferno Fist without leaving a Mountain untapped; if they do, and if you have Separatist Voidmage, you can bounce the enchanted creature and get rid of the Inferno Fist without giving them a chance to activate its ability.

Volcanic Geyser has the potential to win the game out of nowhere, and there's nothing Jace can do about it (he has no countermagic in his starting deck). If the Bullies use it to remove one of your creatures, you're happy. Similarly, Jace's Psychic Spiral can win the game for him, but it's usually more efficient to attack with creatures.